Apple Arcade has been predicted to hit 12 million subscribers in 2020

GamesIndustry.biz's annual panel of "industry watchers" has once again delivered some interesting predictions. Among them was Piers Harding-Rolls' (IHS Markit Technology) prediction that Apple Arcade will hit 12 million subscribers this year. The projection was first reported on by PocketGamer.biz.

We've certainly not been shy about praising the service and its games. The initial 100+ releases include very few duds, a heap of solid titles, and even some genuinely great ones. Several of them went on to be included in our GOTY lists.

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Apple's approach to providing a sort of exclusivity has seemingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, drawn in players, as has the removal of IAPs and in-game ads. It also helps that all of the service's games are new, unlike Google Play Pass.

$4.99 per month is a solid deal in my eyes, but the concern has shifted to whether Apple can match, or at least not massively reduce, the number of games it's putting out regularly.

100+ games all released over the course of a few months will admittedly take the average player a fair while to get through. That said, I imagine most folks are testing each for five minutes before deciding if it's for them. Maybe the key will be bringing older games into the mix to deal with quiet spells or to offer an even greater variety of titles.

12 million subscribers would make Apple Arcade the biggest bundled games subscription service around. An annual $49.99 subscription was launched back in December for those looking to save a tenner.

For all the latest Apple Arcade news, be sure to check out our dedicated section right here. And you can see the full list of 2020 predictions over on GamesIndustry.biz.